RWC Week 1: France v All Blacks
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France missed 32 tackles tonight. Not often that happens to an Edwards coached defence. NZ couldn’t capitalise on this, especially in the first half.
France got pumped by NZ in the pool game in 2011 and lost to Tonga. They ended up losing by a point in the final, after a mutiny against their coach.
Strange things happen at world cups 😬
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@Joans-Town-Jones
Oakville -
@stodders said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
France missed 32 tackles tonight. Not often that happens to an Edwards coached defence. NZ couldn’t capitalise on this, especially in the first half.
ABs finished ahead on lots of things carry metres, rucks, ruck speed etc etc
Key ones we lost: penalties (4-12 I think?) and kicking metres was way behind
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@stodders said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
Going forward - discipline and handling needs to be so much better. Every time NZ looked like they were stretching France, they either dropped the ball or got isolated and pinged. You can’t let teams like France, Ireland and SA have 12 penalties to play with.
France were blowing hard at times. NZ let them off the hook with poor execution and lack of discipline. Both are fixable.
JB and SF returning will be a big boost. BBBR returning and starting with SB will add some ballast and power.
BB has to be on borrowed time now. Wouldn’t surprise me if DM gets a run at FB in Italy test.
CR to take his chance and force himself onto the bench by QF.
If TL returns by end of the pool, that’s quite a lot of changes/improvements from the 23 seen tonight.
Impressive use of initials.
But stop giving me hope.
It may be a stages of grief thing but my mindset is changing.
My expectation has gone and I'm now just going to watch the footy and enjoy the event. I'll still watch with hope, but no expectation.
Is this what normal fans feel like?
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Its a pity Stevenson and/or Jordan did not get more minutes at 15 previously.
We also severely lack a Levi Aumua type at 12. It's just a necessity in international rugby now. You need someone to cart it up.
Fosters in and out Hokey Cokey selection policy has left a fair few guys not knowing where they stand. Roigard, DMAC, Jacobsen, Finau...I could go on. It's all over the place and has been for a few years. Perofeta (1 minute against Ireland), Sowakula, RTS, Ennor. Rightly or wrongly loads of blokes got messed around. Faingaanuku was in the wilderness for a longtime too.
We looked magic against Argentina with DMAC and then foster just ripped it all up.
I cannot get my head around his tenure at all. He is all over the place.
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We've got one last throw of the dice.
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@MN5 said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
@voodoo said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
It’s pretty wild how dependent we have become on Frizell, Scott B and Jordie B, 3 of the dumbest blokes playing rugby 😂
Are you picking on Frizell for his off field antics ?
The Barrett reference is pretty self explanatory though !
I could be being unfair to on-field Frizz to be fair
Still - 3 blokes who know one way and that’s straight up the guts. Shows that at the end of the day, rugby often doesn’t have to be that complicated.
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@pjay no team used to play like ABs either, but back in 2015, the players available were better and could execute the game plan. There wasn’t a team around that was close to them.
Trouble is, you have to cut your cloth accordingly. First Hansen, then Foster have been trying to do the same thing with a good, but not great, crop of players. Sometimes they are able to execute to the same standard, but because they lack the quality, discipline and focus of that 2015 crop, they drop the ball more often. The basics are just not executed as well.
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It’s too late for this team to change, the die has been set. We may fluke a win over a top team, but we go no further then the semis.
We lack balance in the loosies (with or without Cane). Ditto the backs… accentuated when we play ridiculous aerial tactics.
Our props in particular are nowhere near world class.
All set piece is currently a weakness for us. This is majorly concerning.
Which leads on to… we are lacking in game fundamentals. Tactics that support territorial advantage, building phases of pressure etc. It appeared we had moved on, but alas we’re still playing Fosterball.
Relying on miracle plays won’t win a World Cup.
How much lasting damage has been inflicted upon the ABs over the last 4-6 years under a declining Hansen and a grossly under qualified Foster. Probably a nice guy. Nice guys finish last.
We were out-coached/out-tacticed again today.
I’m now nervous about Italy.
Best thing that could happen is that the team develops a siege mentality, like they did when they saved Foster’s skin in SA, backs to the wall, and galvanise.
I hope I am wrong about most of this (but I suspect not).
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@booboo Boks won a World Cup after losing 23-13 in first game to NZ in 2019.
England made the final in 2007 after losing 36-0 to the Boks in the pool.
NZ lost. Challenge now for the coaches is to build up to Italy and win, then build up to QF. If they are 5% better than they were tonight (they weren’t far off), they have a decent chance.
Foster has nothing to lose now. Throw the dice man. Give DM a run at FB. Along with JB, they have 2 siege gun boots. What exactly would the ABs lose dropping BB for DM? I know they say form is temporary, class is permanent, but world cups rarely provide fairytale endings.
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@voodoo said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
@MN5 said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
@voodoo said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
It’s pretty wild how dependent we have become on Frizell, Scott B and Jordie B, 3 of the dumbest blokes playing rugby 😂
Are you picking on Frizell for his off field antics ?
The Barrett reference is pretty self explanatory though !
I could be being unfair to on-field Frizz to be fair
Still - 3 blokes who know one way and that’s straight up the guts. Shows that at the end of the day, rugby often doesn’t have to be that complicated.
I think the wankfest over Frizzel and Blackadder sums up ABs rugby at the moment.
Massive hope and blind faith in two guys who have really done fuck all at the highest level.
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@pjay it does work. Just not as often as it used to.
NZ can’t play Bok rugby. They don’t have enough time to play Ireland rugby. So they are now left with the NZ way and hoping for a dry day where the 50/50 passes stick and everything is glorious 😬
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@stodders problem is I dont think we have the composure and smarts to win this thing.
I also dont think Foster has it in him to adjust things, even though from the outside, they seem like simple changes
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@pjay said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
No team plays like the ABs (and that is not a compliment). It is the height of arrogance to think that you have achieved some new paradigm in rugby while the rest of the best play what I call the ‘European’ way….and win
Who's claiming to have achieved "some new paradigm in rugby"?
I haven't seen any arrogance whatsoever. Just incompetence.
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@taniwharugby said in RWC: France v All Blacks:
@stodders problem is I dont think we have the composure and smarts to win this thing.
I also dont think Foster has it in him to adjust things, even though from the outside, they seem like simple changes
Well said that man. He has shown nothing of the learnings he always talks about.
